Orrantia to Star in “God’s Not Dead 2”

Hayley Orrantia is headed to the big screen…

The 21-year-old Mexican-American actress/singer has landed a leading role in God’s Not Dead 2, the sequel to the hugely profitable 2014 religious drama.

Hayley Orrantia

Much like its predecessor, God’s Not Dead 2 depicts the debate between a skeptic and an evangelical Christian who come into conflict in an educational setting, but in this outing the roles will be reversed.

Orrantia, who stars on ABC’s comedy series The Goldbergs, will portray Brooke, a high school student whose teacher, played by Melissa Joan Hart, quotes bible verses in class, causing Brooke’s parents to sue.

God’s Not Dead 2 is currently in production in Arkansas. Harold Cronk is directing from a script by Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon.

Orrantia was a member of Lakoda Rayne, a country-pop girl group assembled by Simon Cowell during the first season of The X Factor.

Fifth Harmony Lands Its First Top 40 Song on the Billboard Hot 100

It’s a special first for Ally Brooke Hernandez, Lauren Jauregui and Camila Cabello

The Latina singers and their fellow Fifth Harmony members have reached the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40 for the first time in their short history.

Fifth Harmony

The all-girl group, formed by Simon Cowell on the U.S. version of Fox’s The X Factor, rockets 75-40 on this week’s chart with their latest single “Sledgehammer.”

Sales mark 73 percent of the song’s activity, as it blasts onto Billboard’s Digital Songs chart at No. 28, up by 277 percent to 85,000 sold after it went on sale in the iTunes Store for 69 cents on December 16.

In Fifth Harmony’s prior two Hot 100 visits, debut hit “Miss Movin’ On” reached No. 76 and “Bo$$” rose to No. 43.

“Sledgehammer” – co-written by Meghan Trainor – could experience further gains on next week’s charts following the group’s performance on Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution, broadcast December 31/January 1 on Fox.

Espinoza Hosting Simon Cowell & Univision’s Latin Boy Band Reality Show “La Banda”

It’s all about the boys for Alejandra Espinoza

The 27-year-old Mexican beauty-queen-turned-television-presenter is hosting Simon Cowell and Univision’s La Banda, which “aims to create the world’s ultimate Latino boy band through the largest Latino talent search in U.S. TV history,” according to an announcement from the Spanish-language network.

Alejandra Espinoza

The search for contestants for La Banda, which was developed by Cowell’s Syco Entertainment with Univision Communications and Saban Brands, is officially underway.

Boys (to men) ages 14 and older living in the United States and Puerto Rico are invited to audition online for La Banda. The search for potential Latin stars to compete on the upcoming Univision reality show has begun at LaBandaOficial.com.

“I’m very excited about this show,” says Simon Cowell, a producer on the show. “There is a huge amount of talent out there and La Banda is going to give five guys the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Co-produced with FremantleMedia Latin America, the show is set to premiere in fall 2015 on the Spanish-language network.

Winners of the competition — who will inevitably be compared to the Puerto Rican pop group Menudo, which started in the ’70s with a rotating cast of young singers and disbanded in 2009 — will receive a recording contract with Sony Music Latin and Syco Music, home of One Direction.

To be considered, potential participants should go to LaBandaoficial.com and upload pictures, videos or music files. After creating their online audition profiles, selected contestants will receive a “golden ticket,” which will allow them to participate in a private audition with the production team. The online casting will be followed by casting events across the United States and Puerto Rico in the spring of 2015.

“We are proud to start the search for the next great Latino boy band,” said Alberto Ciurana, president of programming and content for Univision Communications Inc. “There is vast talent in our community, and with La Banda, we will find and launch the next generation of musical superstars.”

Fifth Harmony Named to This Year’s Billboard 21 Under 21 List

Ally Brooke Hernandez, Camila Cabello and Lauren Jauregui are hot young stars

The Latina singers and their fellow Fifth Harmony members have earned a spot on Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list, the annual ranking of music’s most powerful minors.

Fifth Harmony

Fifth Harmony, the all-girl group created by Simon Cowell on the second season of The X Factor, has moved up from No. 21 last year to No. 5 on the 2014 list.

Since their formation, Hernandez, Cabello, Jauregui and the gang have earned love from a million Harmonizers, one of the most passionate online fanbases today, helping the ladies of Fifth Harmony continue to thrive a few years removed from their X Factor introduction.

Following their debut EP release last October, Fifth Harmony has spent much of 2014 on the road supporting artists like Demi Lovato and Austin Mahone on tour, winning over new fans while preparing for the release of their debut full-length album, Reflection.

The first single, “Bo$$,” flaunted a rhythmic new sound and became 5H’s biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, ahead of Reflection’s November release.

Recently, Fifth Harmony has added some impressive honors to their list of accomplishments, earning the MTV Artist to Watch award at the MTV Video Music Awards, as well as the Favorite Band on Social Media award at the Shorties.

They recently released the second single from Reflection,Them Girls Be Like.”

But Fifth Harmony’s Latina singers aren’t the only Hispanic artists on the list…

Becky G makes her first-ever appearance on Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list.

The 17-year-old Mexican American singer, rapper, actress and CoverGirl model comes in at No. 9 on the list.

The L.A.-born Gomez has continued to build momentum since her Dr. Luke-produced debut single “Shower” reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 2014. “Can’t Get Enough,” featuring Pitbull, spent a week at No. 1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart in June and recent TV performances on the Today show and the 2014 Teen Choice Awards, among others, have brought even more attention to the Latina teen queen. Her strong social media following (she’s quickly approaching 5 million Facebook likes) has continued to rise as she tours with Katy Perry, Demi Lovato and Jason Derulo. With her debut full-length album set for release later this year, Becky G is on her way to becoming a bona fide power brand.

Meanwhile, the first Latino on this year’s list is Luis Coronel.

The 18-year-old regional Mexican singer, who comes in at No. 11, hadn’t even finished high school before he was trending on social media and showing up on the Billboard charts in 2013. One year later, he has a major teen following in the U.S. and beyond, as well as a thriving career under his belt.

The Del Records artist spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart with Con La Frente En Alto in October 2013 and his single “Tenerte” spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Airplay charts earlier this year.

He’s also had two top 10 hits on the Hot Latin Songs chart, has won trophies for new artist of the year at the 2014 Billboard Latin Music Awards and social media sensation on Telemundo‘s Premios Tu Mundo awards show, has served as a judge on the Mexican singing competition show La Academia Kids and has toured with major recording acts Julion Alvarez to Gerardo Ortiz. Next up for Coronel: a new album, Quiero Ser Tu Dueno, due on September 30.

Last, but certainly not least, Scotty McCreery comes in at No. 16 on this year’s list, down eight spots from his No. 8 position last year.

The 20-year-old part-Puerto Rican country singer has come a long way since winning season 10 of American Idol. The past year has seen the North Carolina native continue to grow his career. “See You Tonight” became his first top 10 hit on the Billboard charts, and became his third gold single. His sophomore album of the same name topped the Country Albums chart upon its release in October 2013, and also became his third straight song to hit the top 10 on the Billboard 200.

McCreery is also proving himself as a live commodity — his See You Tonight tour put him in front of thousands of fans each night, and continues to roll across the country through December. As he approaches 21 in just a few weeks, this will be Scotty’s last appearance on our 21 Under 21.

Fifth Harmony Named MTV Artist to Watch at the MTV Video Music Awards

Ally Brooke Hernandez, Camila Cabello and Lauren Jauregui have officially hung the moon(man).

The Latina singers and their fellow Fifth Harmony members, who performed their single “BO$$” during the MTV Video Music Awards pre-show, won their first-ever Moonman during Sunday night’s awards show.

Fifth Harmony

The all-girl group, created by Simon Cowell on Fox’s singing competition The X Factor, took home the MTV Artist to Watch award for their debut single “Miss Movin On.”

“OMG! This is SO incredible! Cannot believe we just won 2014 #ArtistToWatch!! Thank you so much Harmonizers!” the band tweeted.

They later added, “We are still so overwhelmed! Harmonizers you guys are seriously the BEST!!”

Fifth Harmony beat out Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me,”
5 Seconds of Summer’s”She Looks So Perfect,”Charli XCX’s “Boom Clap” and
Schoolboy Q’s “Man of the Year” for the coveted newcomer award.

Fifth Harmony’s debut album Reflection is slated for a November release.

Here’s a complete look at the night’s winners:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”

BEST LYRIC
5 Seconds of Summer – “Don’t Stop”

MTV ARTIST TO WATCH
Fifth Harmony – “Miss Movin On”

BEST ROCK
Lorde – “Royals”

BEST HIP HOP
Drake ft. Majid Jordan – “Hold On (We’re Going Home)”

BEST POP
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”

BEST MALE
Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”

BEST FEMALE
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”

BEST COLLABORATION
Beyonce ft. Jay Z – “Drunk in Love”

MTV CLUBLAND AWARD
Zedd ft. Hayley Williams – “Stay the Night”

BEST VIDEO WITH A SOCIAL MESSAGE

Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”

BEST EDITING
Eminem – “Rap God”

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Sia – “Chandelier”

BEST DIRECTION
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down for What”

BEST ART DIRECTION

Arcade Fire – “Reflektor”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

OK Go – “The Writing’s On the Wall”

Fifth Harmony Performs During the MTV Video Music Awards Pre-Show

Ally Brooke Hernandez, Camila Cabello and Lauren Jauregui aren’t afraid to play boss at the MTV Video Music Awards

Fifth Harmony

The Latina singers and their fellow Fifth Harmony members pumped up the crowd on the red carpet before the MTV VMAs kicked off inside the Forum on Sunday night.

The Simon Cowell-created girl group, finalists on Fox’s The X Factor, dressed in black-and-white outfits and stomped all over the outdoor stage, red carpet and fan bleachers during their performance of “BO$$,” their Michelle Obama– and Oprah Winfrey-hailing single off their upcoming Reflection album.

Fifth Harmony is nominated for the MTV Artist to Watch award. It’s the group’s first-ever MTV Video Music Award nomination.

Fifth Harmony Releases New Single “Them Girls Be Like”

Lauren Jauregui, Camila Cabello and Ashley Brooke Hernandez are back with new music.

The Latina singers and their fellow Fifth Harmony members have released new music ahead of their pre-show performance at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 24.

Fifth Harmony

The Simon Cowell-created all-girl group, third place finishers on The X Factor, dropped the sassy new song “Them Girls Be Like,” which is full of pop culture references ranging from the 2004 comedy Mean Girls to Beyonce.

“Them Girls Be Like” is the latest song from Fifth Harmony’s upcoming debut, Reflection, due out on November 17 via Epic Records. The group recently changed the album’s cover art after fans expressed their dislike for it.

“Y’all spoke. We heard. We agreed. #5HNEWReflection,” Ally Brooke Hernandez tweeted on Aug. 22, along with a slick black-and-white photo of Fifth Harmony members wearing fedoras.

fifth-harmony-reflection-album-cover

The original cover art, which was revealed in mid-August, showed the Fifth Harmony members standing side by side looking confident in a color photo.

Fifth Harmony will compete for their first Moonman in the MTV Artist to Watch category at the VMAs on Sunday. The group will perform “Bo$$” in the parking lot of the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., prior to the VMAs.

Fifth Harmony Receives First MTV Video Music Awards Nomination

Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui and Ally Brooke Hernandez and their fellow Fifth Harmony band mates have earned their first MTV Video Music Awards nomination…

The all-girl girl, formed by Simon Cowell during the second season of Fox’s The X Factor, earned the nod in the MTV Artist to Watch category for its “Miss Movin’ On” video.

Fifth Harmony

Fifth Harmony is up againstSam Smith’s “Stay With Me,”
5 Seconds of Summer’s “She Looks So Perfect,Charli XCX’s “Boom Clap” and
Schoolboy Q’s “Man of the Year.”

Aloe Blacc has also earned his first MTV Video Music Awards nod.

The 35-year-old Panamanian-American singer is nominated alongside Avicci in the Best Pop category, againstPharrell Williams’ “Happy,”
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX’s “Fancy,” Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz’s “Talk Dirty“
and Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea’s “Problem.

Meanwhile, Pitbull is nominated in the Best Collaboration category alongside Ke$ha for their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song “Timber.”

Starting Thursday, fans can vote in VMA categories by visiting vma.mtv.com. Nominees for best lyric video, which will be voted on through social media, will be announced at a later date. Voting for MTV Artist to Watch will be done via text messaging to 22444 with the nominee’s name.

The MTV VMAs air live from The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday, August 24, at 9:00 pm ET, with previously announced performances fromAriana Grande, Usher and 5 Seconds of Summer. Additional performers will be announced later.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Beyonce ft. Jay Z – “Drunk in Love”
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Sia – “Chandelier”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”

BEST HIP HOP
Eminem – “Bezerk”
Drake ft. Majid Jordan – “Hold On (We’re Going Home)”
Childish Gambino – “3005”
Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz”

BEST MALE
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
John Legend – “All of Me”
Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Monster”

BEST FEMALE
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Beyonce – “Partition”
Lorde – “Royals”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”

BEST POP
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Avicii ft. Aloe Blacc – “Wake Me Up”

BEST ROCK
Imagine Dragons – “Demons”
Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know”
The Black Keys – “Fever”
Lorde – “Royals”
Linkin Park – “Until It’s Gone”

MTV ARTIST TO WATCH
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
5 Seconds of Summer  -“She Looks So Perfect”
Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”
Schoolboy Q – “Man of the Year”
Fifth Harmony – “Miss Movin On”

BEST COLLABORATION
Beyonce ft. Jay Z – “Drunk in Love”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Pitbull ft. Kesha – “Timber”
Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Tyga – “Loyal”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Monster”
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”

MTV CLUBLAND AWARD
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down for What”
Zedd ft. Hayley Williams – “Stay the Night”
Calvin Harris – “Summer”
Martin Garrix – “Animal”
Disclosure – “Grab Her!”

BEST VIDEO WITH A SOCIAL MESSAGE
Angel Haze ft. SIA – “Battle Cry“
Avicii – “Hey Brother”
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
J. Cole ft. TLC – “Crooked Smile”
Kelly Rowland – “Dirty Laundry”
David Guetta ft. Mikky Ekko – “One Voice”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
30 Seconds to Mars – “City of Angels”
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
Gesaffelstein – “Hate or Glory”
Lana Del Rey – “West Coast”

BEST EDITING
Eminem – “Rap God”
MGMT – “Your Life Is a Lie”
Zedd  ft. Hayley Williams – “Stay the Night”
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
Fitz and The Tantrums – “The Walker”

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Sia – “Chandelier”
Beyonce – “Partition”
Usher – “Good Kisser”
Michael Jackson ft. Justin Timberlake – “Love Never Felt So Good”
Jason Derulo ft. 2Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
KIESZA – “Hideaway”

BEST DIRECTION
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down for What”
OK Go  – “The Writing’s on the Wall”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”

BEST ART DIRECTION
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Eminem – “Rap God”
Arcade Fire – “Reflektor”
Tyler, The Creator – “Tamale”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
OK Go – “The Writing’s On the Wall”
Disclosure – “Grab Her!”
Eminem – “Rap God”
Jack White – “Lazaretto”

Fifth Harmony Releases Official “Bo$$” Music Video

Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui and Ally Brooke Hernandez are revved up and ready to show the world who’s boss.

The Latina singers and their fellow Fifth Harmony band members have officially released the high-energy video for their hard-nosed new single “Bo$$.”

Fifth Harmony

“Shut your mouth/Boy I think you know who run this house,” declare the members of the Simon Cowell-created all-girl group in unison.

The track, which reflects Fifth Harmony’s marked maturation from last year’s Better Together“EP, proves they mean business.

“The concept for the video, it’s very empowering and kind of defines ‘Bo$$’ in different settings,” Hernandez shared with MTV. “We have four or five different set-ups and each kind of represents us in our own element, us kind of owning that certain situation.”

She added, “As we grow, our music grows, and it’s very natural and organic and it’s nothing that’s forced, which is really really important to us because we don’t want to just do something drastic just to do it. We want to do something that’s more real to us.”

Kicking over chairs while dressed in white jackets, beating dudes in arm-wrestling matches, strutting their stuff during a photo shoot — it’s all in a day’s work for the ladies, who flash nary a smile while flaunting their independence as women.

The girls’ choreography is stop on, and their name-checking of First Lady Michelle Obama and rap superstar Kanye West is amusing, and Fifth Harmony looks to be reaching a whole new level as a collective.

Fifth Harmony’s debut album will be released in the fall, and until then, the quintet will support Austin Mahone on his summer tour, beginning July 25 in San Antonio.

“It’s definitely more rhythmic,” says Hernandez told Billboard of Fifth Harmony’s upcoming album in March. “Sonically, it’s a little cooler. It’s laid-back. It’s less pop.”

The girls will also perform “Bo$$” on NBC‘s TODAY this Friday (July 11).

Fifth Harmony Perfoms Latest Single at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Lauren Jauregui, Camila Cabello and Ally Brooke Hernandez have proven that their better together this Thanksgiving

The Latina singers, members of the Simon Cowell-created all-girl group Fifth Harmony, celebrated the recent holiday by performing at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

fifth_harmony_billboard_650_20-flashbox

Fifth Harmony, who joined a lineup that included Austin Mahone, Ariana Grande and Florida Georgia Line, rode on the Pepperidge Farm Goldfish float and performed their latest single “Better Together.”

Other performers during the 87th installment of the iconic holiday event included Cher Lloyd, who appeared on a Brooklyn Bridge replica; Fall Out Boy, Kellie Pickler, Gavin DeGraw and the Goo Goo Dolls.

This year’s parade, a three-hour event, featured more than 50 character balloons, which included SpongeBob SquarePants, Snoopy and his bird friend Woodstock and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Due to strong wind, the balloons were flown lower than normal.